What is a CAC?
Child Advocacy Center (CAC)
A Child Advocacy Center provides a safe space for victims of child abuse and their families (non-offending caregivers and siblings or anyone else in the victims daily life). At the Child Advocacy Center, the child's well-being is most important. To ensure that the child's welfare is taken seriously, the team strives to uphold the one interview rule. This basis helps prevent the re-traumatizing of the victim. To learn more about this premise, view the 'Robin's Story' page.
A Multidisciplinary team (MDT) is comprised of community members to bring resources to the victim and family. The MDT must include seven disciplines per the National Children's Alliance (NCA) Standard. These seven generally include, but are not limited to, the following members: Child Protective Services Investigator (CPS), local Law Enforcement (LE), State's Attorney (including members of the State's Attorney's Office) (SAO), a victim/family advocate (VA/FA), a mental health provider, a medical provider, and another member of the CAC Staff--usually the coordinator/director of the center. To understand the benefits of having an MDT on board, view the MDT page.
